Tampopo Kai

Tampopo Kai

Tampopo Kai

About Tampopo Kai

Tampopo Kai is a Japanese cultural program for preschoolers. Through various engaging activities such as singing, storytelling, and arts & crafts, children and their parents are exposed to the richness of the Japanese language and culture.

Topics that will be covered in Tampopo Kai classes are, but not limited to: Japanese holidays, customs, traditions; Japanese vocabulary words (e.g. colors, numbers, shapes, sizes, family members, greetings, seasons, weather, body parts); Japanese arts (songs, kamishibai-style Japanese storyboards, origami).

Class in April 2024

Click to unmute the video above and hear the class singing together. This class was in our temporary space before our new building opened.

The program is organized around three main ideas:

  1. Continue to present an impactful program that is responsive to the developmental needs of infants and toddlers.
  2. Encourage the appreciation of the Japanese language and culture through fun activities.
  3. Create an environment that nurtures positive self-identity by connecting participants to their ethnic heritage.

Who would be a good fit?

  • Children 5 years old and younger
  • Families interested in exposing their children to Japanese language, culture, and/or arts
  • Parents who want their children to develop and maintain a connection to their Japanese heritage
  • Parents who are looking for a tight-knit community of families raising multilingual children in the U.S.

2026 Fall Tampopo Kai Class Schedule

  • In Person Classes will be held on Saturdays for 90 minute sessions.
Fall Classes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
*Early Classes (In-person) at JASC
9 – 10:30 am CST		 9/12 9/19 9/26 10/3 10/10 10/17 10/24 10/31 11/7 11/21
*Late Classes (In-person) at JASC
10:30 am – 12:00 pm CST		 9/12 9/19 9/26 10/3 10/10 10/17 10/24 10/31 11/7 11/21
*NEW Japanese Immersion Class (In-person) at JASC
12:30 – 2 pm CST		 9/12 9/19 9/26 10/3 10/10 10/17 10/24 10/31 11/7 11/21

No class on 11/14 for Holiday Delight & Kodomo Matsuri

NEW: Japanese Immersion Class

This class is intended for children with prior exposure to Japanese in the home or through a bilingual environment. Unlike our introductory preschool class, instruction will take place primarily in Japanese, and students should be comfortable understanding simple spoken directions and participating in basic communication in Japanese. Japanese proficiency may vary among students, but this course is best suited for children who are not learning the language for the first time. Parent or caregiver familiarity with Japanese is encouraged to support the classroom experience.

本クラスは、ご家庭やバイリンガル環境などで、すでに日本語に触れる機会のあるお子さまを対象としています。日本語入門向けのプリスクールクラスとは異なり、授業は主に日本語で行われるため、簡単な指示を理解し、日本語で基本的なやり取りに参加できることが望まれます。日本語力には個人差があっても構いませんが、日本語を初めて学ぶお子さま向けのクラスではありません。また、保護者または付き添いの方にも日本語へのある程度の理解があると、よりスムーズにクラスにご参加いただけます。

Click the photo for a video to learn more.

Trimming the Japan tree at the Museum of Science and Industry is a time-honored tradition for Tampopo-Kai families. Tampopo has been decorating the Japan tree with joy and pride for the Christmas Around the World exhibit since 1989.

Introducing: Tampopo Kai Class Packs

We know flexibility is key for busy families. You can now purchase class packs in sets of 5 or 10. These can be purchased at any time and repurchased whenever your balance runs low.

Pack Type Member Price Non-Member Price Perk
5-Class Pack $125 $150 Standard Rate
10-Class Pack $225 $270 1 Free Class Included!

Reminder: You must have an active JASC Family Membership in order to receive the JASC member pricing. Please check our website for detailed membership information.

If you are not a current member, please purchase a membership before purchasing classes at the member rate. If you are a member but are not sure if your membership has expired, please contact us as info@jasc-chicago.org.

Class Pack Policies

Tampopo Kai classes may only be purchased by a 5-class or 10-class bundle.

  • Rollover: If you don’t use all your classes in the one session, they will automatically roll over to the next session.
  • Validity: All class packs are valid for the entire 2026-2027 school year.
    • Expiration: Please note that all class packs will expire at the end of the Summer 2027 session (June 30, 2027)
  • Sibling Rate: Siblings under 2 years old are FREE. Siblings 2 years old or older should be registered separately
  • A FREE one-class trial: We are now offering it for newcomers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tampopo Kai is currently only offered In-Person on Saturdays. Times are listed in the class schedule above.

Not at all! We encourage parents to bring their babies to let them hear spoken Japanese. We sing many Japanese children’s songs and read Japanese stories alongside simultaneous English translation. It is a great opportunity to immerse the child in the Japanese language.

Not at all! Tampopo Kai welcomes families of all backgrounds who are interested in Japanese culture and language. Our program is designed for anyone who wishes to introduce their children to a new culture, build bilingual skills from an early age, and connect with a warm, supportive community. We celebrate diversity and believe that a fully inclusive Tampopo Kai community helps us share a deeper love for Japanese culture, language, and traditions.

Yes please! Tampopo Kai is geared towards children 5 years old and younger so a parent or guardian must attend alongside their children. For online class, we ask parents to assist with accessing the Zoom link and managing the on/off of microphones. It’s an enriching experience for the whole family!

Tampopo Kai exposes children to the Japanese language, but it is not explicitly a language class. Basic Japanese vocabulary words are taught with supplemental explanations in English. Tampopo Kai is more of a cultural program rather than a language program.

Donguri Kai is a program for grade school and older students.
Students must have started kindergarten in the fall. It is not the age, but more importantly, the grade that they are in.
The biggest reason why we do not allow preschool age students to join Donguri Kai is that the learning style is completely different.

*The student must be able to sit for an hour,
*Use a pencil with appropriate pressure/strength,
*Raise their hands and wait for their turn,
*Must be emotionally mature enough to handle classroom stress on their own.

They may lose in a bingo game. They may have to wait a while for their turn to be called. There are many things that grade school students learn to do once they start kindergarten. Little Kids Beginners 1 class, we use workbooks to practice hiragana, make sentences, repeat words from the books, and must have the stamina to be able to do so for an hour.

About Naomi Negi, Instructor of Tampopo Kai

Originally from Osaka, Japan, “Naomi Sensei,” as she’s known by the community, has been involved with Tampopo Kai as its instructor since 1987. She first became involved with Tampopo Kai due to her strong desire for her three children, who were all born and raised in the US, to build and maintain a connection to their Japanese heritage. She has dedicated 35+ years of her life to creating engaging lesson plans for multiple generations of multicultural children. Outside of instructing Tampopo Kai, she keeps busy as a cultural artist visiting schools, libraries, and museums running workshops and demonstrations of Japanese cultural arts, and remaining connected with the Tampopo alumni community.

For her many years of achievement and leadership, and her dedicated service in the communities we live, work, and play in, Naomi received an “Exemplary Community Service” Award at the 2018 Asian American Lunar New Year Celebration. She has also received a Cultural Achievement Award in 2023 from the Japan America Society of Chicago.